Monday of the 4th week of Lent, 12th March

“My soul is waiting for the Lord, I count on his word, because with the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.”

Gospel Acclimation cf. Ps 129:5,7

Throughout Lent, we invite you to journey alongside some of our refugee friends. As we listen to their stories we join them, waiting for the Lord’s redemption

Hassan-Ali’s Story

This week we will introduce you to Hassan-Ali, one of our refugee friends, who regularly attends the JRS UK Day Centre.

Like many of the refugees accompanied by JRS, Hassan-Ali came to the UK believing he would find safety and security. However, this dream of an open welcome is yet to be realised. His asylum claim has been rejected by the Home Office.

The little government support that Hassan had been receiving stopped once his claim had been refused. Hassan cannot support himself, as it is against the law for him to work. For Hassan, it feels that he is deliberately forgotten: “The organisations, such as the Home Office, who are legally bound to look after and care for asylum seekers and refugees, such as me, have simply decided to ignore their responsibilities”.

“They leave the genuine refugees with no shelter, food and source of income.”

Join us tomorrow as we continue our journey with Hassan-Ali.

Hassan-Ali’s story is real, however we have changed his name to protect his privacy.

#Do1Thing

As in Hassan’s story, those whose asylum claim is refused, lose access to the little government support they had. As a refused asylum seeker they are now subject to a range of measures, known as ‘the hostile environment agenda’, which makes resolving their situation more complicated, and can make it difficult to access vital services; particularly housing and healthcare.

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There are currently a number of changes to healthcare being implemented, which is making it more difficult for destitute asylum seekers to access vital medical services. Today we invite you to learn more about these changes and the difficulties it poses for those seeking asylum.